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The 42nd President of the United States Bill Clinton is applauded by the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama at the (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife)

Speaking at a private gathering of top Democratic contributors on Saturday, President Bill Clinton delivered a warning to anti-gun advocates as they once again embark on the perilous journey towards gun control.

The message?

Guns hold a particular, emotional place of importance in many American rural states and, for that reason, simply dismissing those who support the pro-gun argument is counterproductive to making any strides in solving the problem of gun violence.

“Do not patronize the passionate supporters of your opponents by looking down your nose at them,” said Clinton. “A lot of these people live in a world very different from the world lived in by the people proposing these things. I know because I come from this world.”

As is so often the case these days, Clinton has it exactly right.

By placing the perils of cultural disrespect and the evil of supposed moral superiority on the table, President Clinton has not only cut right to the heart of why we cannot have rational discussion of gun violence in America but identifies a polluting factor that exceeds even the damaging tactics and narratives furthered by the NRA.

Nobody takes kindly to being disrespected.

For that reason, Clinton' s warning, while directly addressing the inherent danger in being dismissive of cultural differences between Americans who come from different regions and backgrounds, highlights the profound difficulties that attach to our current President’s ability to lead the charge towards achieving legislative success for his proposals designed to control gun violence in American.

People of good intent—and yes, there are millions of gun owners who are people of good intent—can listen to an opposing point of view and contemplate the value of a rational argument when the perspective is presented with respect. Conversely, when even a sensible suggestion is offered by one who assumes a position of moral superiority and cultural disdain, it is a pretty good bet that any useful point that might be proposed will fall on exceedingly deaf ears.

And that is why there is simply no forgetting that it was Candidate Barack Obama, during the 2008 presidential campaign, who engaged in precisely that which Clinton now warns against. Of course, I’m referring to the speech given before a gathering of Democratic contributors in San Francisco where then Senator Barack Obama insulted millions of gun owners—and rural gun owners at that—when noting that rural voters “get bitter” and “they cling to their guns or religion.”

If you've forgotten the speech, you can listen to it here:

While one can make a case that President Obama’s intent was neither to offend nor show cultural disrespect for rural gun owners when his words are placed in the full context of his speech, it really doesn't matter when considering that the President now seeks to lead on the topic of gun control.